SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Francis Howell High School

It’s a great day to be a Viking!
By: Heather Koch (MAT Class of 2014)

Francis Howell High School, Home of the Vikings, is a Class 6 member of the Francis Howell School District. As a PY2 student here at Howell I have become very involved with the students and staff. With such a large school there is never a dull moment. From 2pm until the end of practices and games we are constantly treating athletes with every kind of ailment you can think of.  I have been at Howell for a very short period of time, but in this time I have already seen and been able to be a part of so much growth and improvement at the school. They introduced a new wing to the school in the fall of 2012 which included a new gymnasium, weight room, and giant athletic training room among other things. This spring they will debut two baseball fields and one softball field to the campus.

SLU AT student Heather Koch with Francis Howell HS Athletic Trainer Ruth Young ATC.

Athletic training coverage for the school is provided by Excel Sports and Physical Therapy. Excel is a private, locally-owned practice with offices in and around St. Charles County. Along with outreach coverage to area high schools, their athletic trainers also cover youth sports and provide community wellness to businesses in the area. Ruth Young is the athletic trainer here at Howell as well as my preceptor for the 2013-2014 school year. As an athletic trainer for the past 10 years she has worked with the Indiana Fever WNBA team, Saint Vincent's Sports Performance in Indiana, and now resides at Excel Sports and Physical Therapy. This is Ruth’s first year having an athletic training student and she has been so willing and eager to provide me with a variety of knowledge and experience and I have enjoyed every second of it.

It has been a pleasure to work with the students and staff at Francis Howell and I cannot wait to see what the rest of this year at Howell has in store for me.  It truly is a great day to be a Viking!

This is one of a series of posts by the Saint Louis University Athletic Training students featuring their clinical site and their preceptors. The number, quality and diversity of clinical instruction are major assets for the SLU AT Program.